Natalia Bessmertnova
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Natalia Bessmertnova | |
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 Bessmertnova as Giselle, 1966. | |
| Born | Natalia Igorevna Bessmertnova 19 July 1941 Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Died | 19 February 2008 (aged 66) Moscow, Russia |
| Occupation | Ballerina |
Natalia Igorevna Bessmertnova (Russian: Наталья Игоревна Бессмертнова; 19 July 1941 – 19 February 2008) was a Soviet prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet and a People's Artist of the USSR (1976).
Life
[edit]Natalia Bessmertnova was born in Moscow in 1941 and trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography from 1953-61. Among her teachers were Sofia Golovkina and Marina Semyonova. She graduated in 1961 as the first student in the school's history receiving A+ in the final examinations. In 1963, she joined the Bolshoi Ballet and was its prima ballerina for three decades. She was married to Yury Grigorovich, former Director and Chief choreographer of the Bolshoi. When he was forced to leave the Bolshoi in 1995, she took part in a historic strike which led to cancellations of scheduled performances.[1]
Bessmertnova died in Moscow on 19 February 2008, aged 66, from cancer.[2][3] Her sister Tatyana (born 1947) was also a ballet dancer.[4]
Title roles
[edit]- Giselle in Lavrovsky's 1963 Giselle production
- Leyli in Goleizovsky's Leyli and Majnun 1964
- Anastasia in Grigorovich's Ivan the Terrible 1975
- Valentina in Grigorovich's Angara 1976
- Juliet in Grigorovich's new Romeo and Juliet 1979
- Rita in Grigorovich's The Golden Age in 1982
- Raymonda in Grigorovich's new Raymonda production 1984
- Giselle in Grigorovich's Giselle in 1991
Other important roles
[edit]- Phrygia in Spartacus
- Odette-Odile in Swan Lake
- Shirin in Legend of Love
- Kitri in Don Quixote
- Maria in The Fountain of Bakhchisarai
- The girl in Le Spectre de la rose[5]
Awards
[edit]- Gold Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition in 1965.
- The Anna Pavlova Prize in Paris 1970.
- USSR State Prize (1977) and Lenin Prize (1986).
- People's Artist of the USSR in 1976.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Bessmertnova bio, Bolshoi.ru; accessed 27 June 2018.(in Russian)
- ^ Obituary, New York Times, 20 February 2008; accessed 27 June 2018.
- ^ BBC obit
- ^ Clarke, Mary & Vaughan, David (1977) The Encyclopaedia of Dance and Ballet. Pitman Publishing; pg. 63
- ^ British Pathé. New Russian Ballet "A Vision Of A Rose" (1968). Retrieved 2018-08-31.
External links
[edit]
- The Ballerina Gallery - Natalia Bessmertnova
- The Gallery of Masters of Musical Theatre - Natalia Bessmertnova
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- 1941 births
- 2008 deaths
- Moscow State Academy of Choreography alumni
- Tenth convocation members of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
- Honored Artists of the RSFSR
- People's Artists of the RSFSR
- People's Artists of the USSR
- Recipients of the Lenin Prize
- Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize
- Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
- Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Recipients of the USSR State Prize
- Writers from Moscow
- Prima ballerinas
- Russian ballerinas
- Russian women
- Soviet ballerinas
- Deaths from cancer in Russia
- Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery
- 20th-century Russian ballet dancers
- Soviet people stubs
- Ballet biography stubs